The Milky Way Galaxy
The Milky Way Galaxy is the main setting of the Virgo Saga. As the location of one of the three capitals of the InterGalactic Alliance (Earth) and other important planets (Aquinox, DIPPER, Iceberg Ten, etc.), the Milky Way Galaxy plays an influential part of intergalactic events, including the Tionese-Cronese War and the Virgonian Civil War. General Facts The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy located in the Local Group cluster of the much, much larger Virgo Supercluster. It is approximately 100,000-120,000 light-years in diameter containing approximately 200-400 billion star systems with approximately 100 billion planets total. Approximately 1/1000 planets with 25 million intelligent species have active communication with each other according to the 2957 census. Some regions of the galaxy, such as the Nantex and Cambrian sectors, along with the length of the Damore Trade Route, have yet to be explored. The Milky Way galaxy is composed of several main arms including: *The Perseus Arm- The industrial part of the galactic economy; the Perseus Arm alone produces 30% of the galaxy's and 5% of the InterGalactic Alliance's goods and supplies. The Perseus Arm is also the 5th most populated part of the Milky Way Galaxy, with important planets, such as Riga, Orion, and Damore. *The Norma-Outer Arm- A small extension of the Milky Way Galaxy, it is a relatively uncharted region, with some recently colonized planets, including Iceberg Ten, Druckenmore, and Lourrd. *The 3 kpc (kiloparsec) Arm- A small yet densely populated arm located near the Galactic Center. It is the agricultural center of the galaxy with important planets, such as Palmer, Ossan, and the Oasis system. The arm alone produces 10% of the galaxy's and .2% of the InterGalactic Alliance's produce and meat. *The Scutum-Centaurus Arm- Being the location of some of the most important trade routes in the galaxy, such as the Centaurus Trade Route and the Permian Trade Spine, it has become the home of some of the richest planets in the Milky Way Galaxy, such as Damore, Terminos, Corban, Permia, and Lentoc. *The Carina-Sagittarius Arm- This arm has largely been untouched by galactic events, but has played a major part in the economy of the InterGalactic Alliance, being the money-producing center of the Alliance. Some planets, such as Taros, Templos V, Briggia III, and Seronnia, are located within the arm. *The Orion-Cygnus Arm- This is the main hub of the InterGalactic Alliance in the Milky Way Galaxy and the center of much of the civilization in the galaxy, with half the galaxy's citizens being camped out in the Orion Arm alone. It also has been the center of several galactic affairs, including the CRIGE crisis, the Virgonian Civil War, and the Xanthos Invasion. Important planets, such as Earth, DIPPER, Aquinox, formerly Hydros, Wayland, Sirius, Procyon, Daccia, and Hope XI, are located within the arm. There are several distinct features in the galaxy, including: *Galactic Center- At the center of the galaxy, lies a black hole, called Sagittarius A. This causes much of the time in the core of the galaxy to be somewhat distorted, causing FTL (Faster-Than-Light) travel to be difficult, if not dangerous, in the Center. *Permian Trade Spine- This is one of the largest and one of the most important space/trading routes within the entire galaxy. Starting within the Scutum-Centaurus Arm at the Permian sector, the route extends into the entire arm and briefly crosses the core boundary into the Orion-Cygnus Arm. The route continues into the arm on to planets, such as the Alliance capital Earth, the lush colony world of DIPPER, the energy-efficient planet of Windsor, and the mineral rich planet of Chun'khor. The route then passes into the Perseus Arm and passes worlds such as the industrial world of Orion. The route finally conludes at the Outer Arm of the galaxy. Time duration throughout the entire length of the route normally would be 6 to 12 hours with a Class 3 FTL engine. *The Orion Galactic Trade Route- This route is by far the most important space/trading route in the entire galaxy. Starting at the Sol Sector (Solar System), this route extends on throughout the entire Orion-Cygnus Arm to important systems such as Sirius and Procyon and stretches on through the Perseus Arm. At some point while in the Perseus Arm, the Permian Trade Spine and the Orion Galactic Trade Route intersect and merge. This combined route soon branches out into several routes: the Orion-Sagittarius Slice, the Outer Arm Trade Route, the Perseus Sub-Route, the Secondary Orion Trade Route, and lastly, the Trans-Galactic Space Route. After exiting the Perseus Arm, the route passes into the Core (not the Inner Core, that's different) and passes planets, such as Trynna, Plenessy, and Fevros. The route then extends into the 3 kpc Arm temporarily and exits into the Norma Arm. The route then extends to the Scutum-Centaurus Arn and finally ends at the Carina-Sagittarius Arm, at the planet Templos VI. Time duration throughout the entire length normally would be 8 to 15 hours with a Class 3 FTL engine. *Many other trade routes, such as the Damore Trade Route, are spread out across the galaxy. These routes play a major part in the galactic and intergalactic ecnomy. *The Colonies- The extensive network of colonies established by the InterGalactic Alliance during the Human Galactic Explorer Colonization Program (2930-2955) and the Great Galactic Expansion of 2958. Some worlds include Gorben, Gulfe, Terra, and Lovencroft. *The Core (not the Galactic Center)- This is the region of densely populated worlds located within the galactic bulge of the Milky Way. Some worlds include Abregado, Centros, and Gryfyn. Government and politics Much of the galaxy was explored during the Human Galactic Explorer Colonization Program (2930-2955) and relations were established between the Humans, the Hydrosians, the Aquinoxians, the Daccians, and the Aquilians in New York City, Earth, which officially formed the InterGalactic Alliance. Over many decades, the Alliance had expanded beyond the galaxy and eventually, in 2985, the Alliance had finally established a firm stronghold on the entire Virgo Supercluster. Some other governments (most integrated into the Alliance as semi-autonomous governments) were as follows: *The Aquinoxian Confederation ( joined Confederation in 2955; seceded from Alliance in 2988, remains ally of Alliance). *The Galactic Empire (reorganized into the Imperial Remnant in 2996; revived in 2998; reorganized again 2999). *The Froffi Alliance (joined Confederation/Alliance in 2955; semi-autonomous). *The Republic of Tion (joined Confederation/Alliance in 2956; semi-autonomous). *The Kingdom of Cron. (joined as the Cron Republic in 2956; reorganized as Kingdom of Cron in 2967; seceded from Alliance in 2975; went to war with Alliance in 2976). *The Allied Orion Sectors. (joined Confederation/Alliance in 2956; semi-autonomous). *The Gorbesh Coalition. (joined Confederation/Alliance in 2956; semi-autonomous). *The Free Commerce Sector. (substantial Confederation/Alliance presence established in 2968). *The Free States of Commenor. (joined Confederation/Alliance in 2957; semi-autonomous). *The Honorable Union of Hymnos and Farfal. (joined Confederation/Alliance in 2958; semi-autonomous). *The Sol Republic. (reformed into Galactic Confederation in 2955; reformed again in 2999 as InterGalactic Alliance; serves as a semi-autonomous government). *The Hydrosian Republic. (joined Confederation/Alliance in 2955; semi-autonomous; Hydros has currently relocated to Andromeda Galaxy). *The Zword Empire (dissolved 2988). *The Galactic Confederation (reformed into the InterGalactic Alliance in 2999; currently defunct). *Horefrogan Kingdom (joined Confederation/Alliance in 2963; semi-autonomous). *FreiStaat (joined Confederation/Alliance in 2977; semi-autonomous). *The Alsak League (dissolved in 2962). Galactic economy The galactic economy of the Milky Way Galaxy is extremely complex and diverse; the economy links itself to other galactic economies due to the Milky Way's role in the InterGalactic Alliance. The galaxy's economy is divided into several distinct "economic districts." *The Perseus Industrial District- This district is located in the Perseus Arm; this district is the indutrial center of the galaxy. Approximately 30% of the galaxy's and 5% of the InterGalactic Alliance's iron and steel ore are produced and exported for the many shipyards within the InterGalactic Alliance, including Damore and Orion. *The Orion Econmonic Center- Located within the Orion-Cygnus Arm, the Orion Economic Center is the center of much of the galaxy's stock trading centers, including Wall Street on Earth. *The Milky Way Agricultural District- Located in the 3 kpc Arm, this region is the agricultural center of the center of the galaxy, exporting 10% of the galaxy's and .2% of the InterGalactic Alliance's produce and meat. Some planets within the economic region include the Oasis system and Palmer. *The Free Commerce Sector- Located within the Outer Core, the Free Commerce Center is the capitalist center of the galaxy. The Sector is free of Alliance economic restrictions, although the Alliance has established a substantial presence within the Sector. Some planets included within the sector are Gryffyn, Abregado, and Centros. Important events in galactic history (in chronological order) *The Galactic Tribal Wars (????-????). *The Human Galactic Explorer Colonization Program (2930-2955). *The Establishing of the Galactic Confederation (2955). *The Great Galactic Expansion (2955-2999). *The Alsak Insurgency (2962). *Reformation of the Galactic Confederation into the InterGalactic Alliance (2985) *The Tionese-Cronese War (2976-ongoing). *The CRIGE Crisis (2983). *The Virgonian Civil War (2985-2999). *The Ousider Crisis (3000-ongoing).